This past summer, Miami sushi fans collectively gasped when tiny, conveyor-belt sushi hotspot Katana announced it was expanding beyond its beloved Normandy Isle home with a second location on Coral Way.
Now, fans of the sushi-go-round experience are getting something very different on Lincoln Road. Ukiyo, a sprawling new Japanese restaurant, is set to open in mid-October on the second level of 818 Lincoln Road, taking over the space formerly occupied by the short-lived ORO.
And unlike the intimate, no-frills conveyor-belt restaurants many Miamians may be used to, this one is going big: nearly 7,500 square feet of indoor-outdoor space, a contemporary dining room, roaming food carts, tableside cooking, live performances and, of course, plenty of sushi making its way around a conveyor belt.
A sushi experience with tableside theatrics
The centerpiece is the conveyor belt, where sushi chefs will prepare nigiri, sashimi, and specialty rolls with fish sourced directly from Japan, then send them on their merry way around the room. “Freshness isn’t our goal; it’s our starting point,” says executive chef Nono Shigetomi. “Every ingredient is selected with intention because great sushi begins long before the fish reaches the plate.”…